Pathways To Online Political Hostility On Social Media

Abstract

Why do people engage in hostility on mainstream social media platforms? People often encounter hostility in political discussions online, but the motivations that underpin this hostility are not well understood. Effectively countering online hostility in political discussions requires an understanding of why people engage in it. The vast majority of previous research points to the flaws of the interplay between human psychology and social media, yet does not assess the core assumptions of most interventions against online political hostility: Is the hostility a political act, or a psychological flaw? To address this drawback, systematic qualitative research designs are needed in order to understand why people engage in political hostility on social media, because this has implications for how it can be countered. I argue that people hold political motivations for engaging in online political hostility on social media. In other words, hostility in political discussions on social media is a form of political participation. I advance this argument through 25 in-depth interviews with people who engage in online political hostility. I identify three distinct pathways for engaging in online hostility: The ventilator uses social media to seek relief from their frustrations, the collider pursues “the truth” through blunt deliberation, and the megaphone tries to influence others through persuation and, if necessary, hostility. These pathways differ in terms of how people benefit from participation in online discussions as well as their perceived end goal, yet political frustrations justify the hostility for all. Thus, online hostility on mainstream social media platforms is a political act, rather than inherently disruptive behavior. These findings have implications for which and to what extant interventions and policies against hostility are likely to succeed. Specifically, the findings suggest that in order to combat online political hostility, interventions and policies need to address offline political grievances, as the motivations for engaging in hostility stem from broader political frustrations.